PRESS RELEASE:
26.04.2010
This spring, “Drunk, You’re a Fool” encourages party people to drink in moderation
The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry has revamped the “Drunk, You’re a Fool” campaign, which aims to spark off debate about Finnish binge-drinking culture. The new campaign will be launched on 26 April 2010 and is targeted at 18-30-year-olds. TV and outdoor ads will direct them to the campaign’s Internet site.
“We want to provide young people with tools for questioning the dominant Finnish drinking habits and cultural glorification of drunkenness. Our campaign encourages people to enjoy alcohol responsibly. We also seek to inspire people to intervene in obnoxious behaviour and think about their own behaviour and attitudes,” says Tero Kallio, Managing Director of the Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry.
Most Finns consume alcohol responsibly and in moderation, but the binge-drinking culture is a problem for both individuals and society, posing a challenge to responsible companies. “Now that the spring festive season is almost here, we should keep in mind that there are many ways of having a good time. We should all think about what’s cool and what makes you look like a fool. There’s a limit to everything,” says Kallio.
The “Drunk, You’re a Fool” campaign aims to inspire public discussion on alcohol abuse and the social impacts of binge drinking. “We can’t change Finland’s drinking culture overnight. However, education can influence the alcohol use of youth and future generations. Attitudes change slowly, but this is the only way of addressing alcohol abuse – we’ve been much too tolerant of it,” says Kallio.
To date, Finland has sought to reduce the adverse impacts of alcohol mainly by heavily taxing alcoholic beverages, regulating their availability and laying down restrictions, such as on their marketing. “Moderate taxation and regulation have a role to play in our future alcohol policy, but we should also focus equally on educating people on how to enjoy alcohol responsibly. Such education is the only means of significantly reducing the harm caused by alcohol. It is easiest for young adults to change their habits and learn to drink in moderation,” adds Kallio.
The “Drunk, You’re a Fool” theme is presented in TV and outdoor ads. The campaign’s Internet site is located at www.kännissä-olet-ääliö.fi . The site features a questionnaire on the alcohol-related behaviour of young people and the underlying factors and beliefs. In addition, the site presents a collection of facts about the social problems and health hazards of drunkenness in a format that’s appealing to young people. “The campaign helps young people to figure out on their own what’s cool and what’s uncool. We also encourage the parents of young people to visit the Internet site and discuss their thoughts on these issues with their children,” says Kallio.
The “Drunk, You’re a Fool” campaign carried out in 2007–2008 was successful. The campaign’s Internet site, www.kännissä-olet-ääliö.fi , was visited over 500,000 times. The campaign received numerous awards, such as the Health Promotion Act of the Year 2008 from the Finnish Centre For Health Promotion (Tekry). In addition, an evaluation of the campaign by researchers was well received at various events of the EU Alcohol and Health Forum. “The results of the campaign were encouraging. Education that addresses the target group in the right way can influence culture and attitudes. The last campaign sparked off many kinds of discussion. We hope that this time, our campaign will once again spur different parties in Finland to make outlays on alcohol education. For the sake of alcohol and drug education, it would be desirable that these parties would co-operate in spite of their differing views on alcohol policy,” says Kallio.
For additional information, contact:
Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry
Managing Director Tero Kallio, tel. +358 9 148 871 (ETL exchange), GSM +358 40 729 4513
Communications Manager Pirjo Hästbacka, tel. +358 9 148 871 (ETL exchange), GSM +358 50 356 8359
The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry promotes the interests of producers of beer, cider, long drinks, soft drinks and mineral waters in Finland. Its members are Oy Hartwall Ab, Nokian Panimo Oy, Olvi Oyj and Oy Sinebrychoff Ab. The Federation of the Brewing and Soft Drinks Industry operates in connection with the Finnish Food and Drink Industries Federation and represents Finland’s third largest industry in the food and drink branch in terms of the value of production.
